Romney Wins New Hampshire, Paul Secures Second Place

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney grabbed first place in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, his second victory after narrowly securing Iowa by eight votes exactly a week earlier. (Full results)

“Tonight we celebrate,” Romney said in a victory speech you can watch above. “Tomorrow, we go to work.”

Romney is scheduled to hit the campaign trail in South Carolina Wednesday, where he’s expected to face a considerably more difficult contest ahead of that state’s primary on Saturday, January 21.

Texas Governor Rick Perry scarcely registered one-percent of the vote in New Hampshire. He skipped the Granite State to focus on South Carolina, hoping his socially conservative religious beliefs, his pro-military rhetoric, and the story of Texas economic success will trump Republican skepticism over his ability to win a general election.

“Tonight's results in New Hampshire show the race for 'conservative alternative' to Mitt Romney remains wide open,” Perry said in a campaign email Tuesday night. “I skipped New Hampshire and aimed my campaign right at conservative South Carolina, where we've been campaigning hard and receiving an enthusiastic welcome.”

The other Texan in the race, Congressman Ron Paul, met expectations with a solid second place finish in New Hampshire. The Texas Tribune’s Thanh Tan reports that Paul’s runner-up status will provide solid momentum as he pushes forward to South Carolina.

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There’s no sugar-coating Gov. Rick Perry’s chances right now. He has 11 days to convince South Carolina voters to forget his early stumbles, his fifth-place finish in Iowa and his meager chances in New Hampshire tonight.

Perry brought U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney on his bus today to stir up crowds at campaign stops. Mulvaney implored a large crowd in Fort Mill to forget about the Perry they saw in debates.

Governor Rick Perry's campaign sent this email tonight, after it became apparent that Mitt Romney was headed to victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary:

Tonight's results in New Hampshire show the race for 'conservative alternative' to Mitt Romney remains wide open. I skipped New Hampshire and aimed my campaign right at conservative South Carolina, where we've been campaigning hard and receiving an enthusiastic welcome. I believe being the only non-establishment outsider in the race, the proven fiscal and social conservative and proven job creator will win the day in South Carolina.

South Carolina is the next stop. I have a head start here, and it's friendly territory for a Texas governor and veteran with solid outsider credentials, the nation's best record of job creation, and solid fiscal, social and Tea Party conservatism.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul survived the New Hampshire primary Tuesday with his runner-up status intact. The candidate had been polling in second place for days, and voters proved the surveys right.

Though the candidate could not overtake former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's commanding lead, the second-place finish will give his campaign another kick-start in fundraising and momentum as it moves to the first-in-the-South primary Jan. 21 in South Carolina.

"We've had a victory for the cause of liberty ... and there's no way they're going to stop the momentum," Paul said Tuesday night in a speech laced with underdog rhetoric and aimed at his fans across the country. "We are dangerous to the status quo!"